ttend,--a situation not changed, in fact, until the
erection of Hill Auditorium in 1913. Upon one occasion women were
admitted an hour earlier than men, a bit of partiality which drew a
protest against such injustice and a reference to the perfectly good
space wasted through the necessities of the prevailing crinolines. One
class, at least, that of '46, held its exercises in a great revival
tent, especially imported from Chicago and set up after a week's
strenuous exertion on the part of the students. The programme consisted
of short orations by the graduates, who were democratically placed on
the programme with no reference to standings. The increasing size of the
classes led eventually to a Faculty selection of certain speakers to
represent the students. In 1878 class participation was abolished and
the practice of inviting distinguished men to give the Commencement
address was inaugurated. The old practice of giving the seniors a
vacation period in which to prepare their speeches also came to an end
with this change.

The traditional rivalry between classes in the University existed from
the first and many were the lessons taught the upstanding freshmen, with
natural retaliations on the sophomores. To this was added a natural
inter-departmental rivalry which came with the establishment of the
professional schools. The "medics" and the "laws," however, soon grew
strong enough to take care of themselves and were in fact for many years
largely in the majority. And with this growth of class and departmental
spirit, which increasing numbers brought, the rushing and hazing
episodes in the seventies and eighties became more serious--not so much
because of their dangerous character in themselves, as for the
opportunity they gave to unfriendly critics of the institution. The
usual student, however, yields to no one in his love for his alma mater
and time and again it has only been necessary to point out the real
danger to the University arising from such practices to bring about
their abandonment,--until the next crop of hazers has to go through the
same process of education.

This inter-departmental rivalry, which was most intense about 1900,
naturally led to many escapades. One picturesque incident resulted when
1900 ran a flag bearing the class numerals to the top of the University
flag-pole, and left it to sweep the skies with the halyards cut. A
Western sharpshooter was enlisted from the ranks of the Law Department
and